


2016 - 24 Days of Tea

by Amaradex



Series: Days of Tea [2]
Category: Rosewood (TV), Teen Wolf (TV), Tortall - Tamora Pierce, Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Drabble Collection, Gen, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-06 03:39:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 1,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8733340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amaradex/pseuds/Amaradex
Summary: Fics inspired by the tea names from the 2016 David's Tea Advent calendar.  Each story is probably going to be a different fandom or set of characters.





	1. Snow Day - Valdemar, Gen, G

_:Vanyel, wake up,:_ Yfandes said, stirring Van out of his sleep.  He groaned, rolling over and burying his head under his pillow.  Savil had kept him up late the night before, working him like a dog, and all he wanted to do was sleep in.

 

_:’Fandes, I want to sleep,:_ he replied grumpily, trying not to sound petulant as well.  He heard the Companion’s snicker in his mind and huffed at her.

 

_:Trust me, dear,:_ she said, and he could sense that her desire to see him was truly urgent, so he sighed and unburied himself, shivering at the coolness of the room.  He pulled on layers of clothing, going for what was warmest and not caring if it matched.  He ended up with a patchwork of uniform and casual clothes, and laughed wryly at the thought of wearing such a thing back at Forst Reach.

 

Yfandes met him as soon as he reached Companion’s Field, the first few layers already soaked by the heavy snow that had fallen overnight.  The sun was barely over the horizon, the grey light barely filtering through the thick clouds that were still dropping snow.

 

“I hope whatever this is is worth dealing with all of this,” Van told Yfandes as she trotted up to him.  She snorted, but didn’t deign to reply, simply presenting her side to him in an offer to mount.  He used a nearby fence to help him get up onto her back, and then clung to her as she turned around and took off at a much faster speed than he’d been expecting.

 

_:What is going on, ‘Fandes?:_ he asked.  She turned her head just enough to look at him with one blue eye and then faced forward again, moving steadily the whole while.  After a few moments, Van decided that she wasn't going to answer him and settled in for the ride.  She wasn't heading towards any of the gates, so he knew they weren't headed far.

 

In fact, they ended up going into the Grove, and Yfandes slowed to a stately walk, weaving her way through the trees until she reached the chapel.

 

_:'Fandes,:_ Van nearly whined.   _:What are we doing here?:_

 

_:You're here to take a day to yourself for once,:_ the Companion told him sternly.   _:Savil hasn't let you have a day to breathe since Tylendel...:_  She trailed off, clearly sensing Vanyel’s hurt.

 

_:I told her that if everyone else was going to get a snow day, so we're you,:_ she continued briskly after a moment's pause.   _:And you won't be bothered here.  So take whatever time you need.  When you feel up to dealing with things again, we'll head back.:_

 

_:And you had to get me up early for this?:_ Van asked her tartly.

 

_:I heard rumors that she was planning to come for you after breakfast,:_ Yfandes responded just as tartly.   _:So yes, I did.:_  She nudged him with her nose, pushing him towards the chapel.   _:Go, Chosen.  I'll be here when you're ready.:_

  
Vanyel took a couple of steps before turning to look back at the Companion.  Suddenly, he threw himself back towards her, giving her a tight hug before heading into the chapel.  He knew he didn't have to tell her how she loved her, because she knew him better than even himself.


	2. Jumpy Monkey - Teen Wolf, Gen, G

Stiles's foot jitters restlessly despite the fact that his eyes are closed, and the rattle of his shoelaces against the table leg has Lydia ready to snap.  They're reading up on Himalayan myths of all things, using books that have likely been translated through three different languages before making it to English.  Trying to figure out which parts are gibberish from a mistranslation and which are either lies or more supernatural craziness is giving her a headache.

 

“Seriously, Stiles!” she finally snapped, and he jumped guiltily.

 

“Sorry, was I doing it again?” he asked, blinking at her blearily.  He had clearly been completely focused on what he was reading, blocking out the rest of the world until nothing existed but the text he was reading.  He'd learned to do it sometime after the eighth time the two of them had worked together, and she was simultaneously jealous and irritated.

 

“I think I might have something, actually,” he said, pulling the book he had been reading around so that both of them could look at it.

 

“The monkeys must be made to jump,” Lydia read out, and then looked at Stiles with a raised eyebrow.  “Stiles, that doesn't make sense.  We're not exactly dealing with monkeys here.  And what in the world does it mean by making them jump?”

 

“They look a little ape-like, though, don't they?” Stiles asked, tapping the photo Scott had managed to take of the newest creature shaking up life in Beacon Hills.  Lydia considered the photo for a second, tilting her head to each side.

 

“OK, I can see it,” she admitted.  “Given the multiple translations and the years, I can see it being eventually referred to that way.  But that still doesn’t explain the second part.”

 

“No, you’re right,” Stiles admitted.  “But it’s a start.  It’s better than nothing, which is what we had earlier.”

  
“Let’s see if we can find any other references to monkeys, then,” Lydia said, and bent her head again, skimming the words more quickly now that she had an idea what she was looking for.


	3. Genmaicha - Protector of the Small, Gen, G

“Alright, now draw it in over your tongue and breathe in through your nose at the same time,” Kel instructed patiently, then rolled her eyes when Neal managed to choke himself, snatching the teacup he had before he dropped it.

 

“What the hell was that, Kel?” he asked accusingly.  “Are you trying to kill me?”

 

“You’re the one who wanted to know how to participate in a Yamani tea ceremony for Yuki’s sake,” she pointed out.  “It’s not my fault you can’t taste without half killing yourself.”

 

“How are you supposed to drink the tea and breathe in at the same time?” Neal asked, his tone a little more calm but still accusatory.

 

“I didn’t tell you to drink it yet,” Kel told him, planting her fists on her hips.  “I told you to pull it back in your mouth.  You just misunderstood.”  Neal threw his hands up wildly and tried to stand up, only to be foiled by the knot his legs had formed.  He was truly too tall to find the tailor position comfortable, but it was traditional and he’d told Kel he wanted the full traditional experience, floor table and all.

 

“No more!” he exclaimed when he finally made it to his feet.  Kel just shrugged at him and he threw his hands up again and then stormed off when she wouldn’t give him anything but her unflappable face.

  
Once he was gone, she took his teacup and took a sip from it, properly savouring the toasted rice flavour hidden under the strength of the green tea.  She supposed tea drinking was just too calm of an activity for Neal, but she had rather missed it and decided to re-incorporate it into her daily routine.  Even she could use ten minutes a day to center herself, after all.


	4. Organic Serenity Now - Tortall, Gen, G

_ Serenity _ , Alanna breathed in, ignoring the faint rumbling of feet on the stairs in the distance.

 

_ Serenity _ , she told herself as the squabbling of her children reached her ears.

 

_ Serenity _ , she mentally shouted over the cries of one of the twins.

 

_ Seren _ -.  She was wrenched from her thoughts as the door flew open and all three of her children piled in, followed by her reprobate of a husband.

 

“I'm trying to work here,” she nearly shouted, only remembering to lower her voice at the last minute.  George and Thom at least had the decency to look slightly ashamed, but the twins were too caught up in their own private war to notice their mother's irritation.

  
_ I'll have to talk to Numair about a better way to do this _ , Alanna thought as she dragged her two youngest apart by their ears.   _ Serenity isn't going to be anywhere near this place for a very long time. _


	5. Coffee Cake - Rosewood, Gen, G

“I've never understood how anyone can stand that stuff,” Villa says, watching Rosie neatly cut off a piece of coffee cake and slide it onto his fork.

 

“What's not to understand?” he asks, once he's eaten the bite.  He presses down with his fork again, cutting off another perfect bite-sized piece.  Rather than eating it, though, he holds it suspended in mid-air, examining it.

 

“Who thinks coffee should go with cake?” Villa clarifies once she realizes Rosie is waiting for a response.  “It's bitter and dark, not light and sweet.”

 

“Ah, but that's what makes it so perfect,” Rosie tells her, waving his fork around like he's some sort of snake charmer.  “The sweet lightness of the cake enhances the bitterness of the coffee swirl while also being tempered by it.  So you can enjoy the sweetness of the cake even more by comparing it to the coffee flavour.”. He pops the fork into his mouth and rolls his eyes at her in exaggerated enjoyment, causing her to scoff and wave him off.

  
“Come on, Villa,” he says smoothly.  “Don't tell me you don't enjoy the tempering of sweetness with a little bit of dark and bitter.  Because I know a pathologist who can prove you do.” He wiggles his eyebrows at her, clearly pleased with his own cleverness, and she just rolls her eyes and sits back, not willing to show how much she truly does enjoy their banter.  That doesn't stop him from gloating, though.


End file.
